


Keep Your Eyes Open

by ribbonsofreilin (steph35243)



Series: Cloudy Mirrors [2]
Category: Final Fantasy X
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Guardian!Yuna, Jecht is from Zanarkand, M/M, Platonic Life Partners, Summoner!Tidus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-22
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2018-07-16 15:59:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7274467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steph35243/pseuds/ribbonsofreilin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jecht was a dream that the Fayth deposited in Spira as their hope to end their suffering. Unexpectedly, after one drunken night, he had a child with a Bevelle woman and then joined Summoner Braska on an ill-fated quest to defeat Sin.</p><p>Now, Tidus has successfully become a Summoner. Yuna makes the pivotal decision to become her best friend's Guardian. The stage is set for a tumultuous pilgrimage: one that will test everything they believe in, and set off a chain of events that will rock Spira to its core.</p><p> </p><p>(The ambitious pilgrimage begins, but no one can predict just how quickly it all goes south as disaster and death quickly strikes them all)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. From Quarter to Half to Full

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the beginning of a huge undertaking (no seriously, it's a monster of a fic). I can only say that if you get through all of this, thank you for taking the time to read!
> 
> Note: Please read the prequel Tell My Why before reading this fic because otherwise a lot of it won't make sense right away.

~Part II: Sigils~

“You got a lot of stuff Tidus,” Rikku commented, looking over all the items the group gathered from the villagers. The S.S. Likki has smoothly sailed out of Besaid and in one and a half day’s time, it would be docking in Kilika. Rikku sat cross-legged on one of the beds staring at the pile in the center of the room where they dumped all the gifts they got from what looked like the entire population of Besaid.

 Tidus shrugs and picked up a copper coloured armlet from the pile, “it’s to help me on my pilgrimage to fight Sin, why would they not? Hmmmm this would be good for Kimahri…” He trailed off.

As Tidus walked away to find Kimahri, Rikku leaned over to Yuna in a low voice, “he really has no idea does he?”

Yuna shook her head, “Tidus usually has a low opinion of himself in everything except his Blitzball skills. So yes, he has no idea how much Besaid grew to love him.”

Rikku spotted a few vials she could use to mix and pocketed them for future battles, “they’re also like farewell gifts…” She realized.

“Right.” Yuna agreed, also feeling melancholy.

As Yuna turned away to also leave the room, Rikku pulled out a little sphere she sometimes carried that would capture moments in time. She flipped through it to land on the last scene in the sphere: Tidus shaking hands with the Besaid villagers with a mixture of sheepish grinning and embarrassment while the villagers swarmed them with gifts. Beside Tidus, Yuna is ducking her head, trying to stifle her laughter.

Rikku decided this would be one of her favourite pictures and a good start to the pilgrimage, if there could ever be something like a good start for a Summoner and his Guardians.

Even if right after the send-off, the whole island seemed to have dissolved into tears.

* * *

Soon the rooms they were given on the boat emptied as everyone went to either walk around on deck or to view other parts of the ship. After resting for a bit, Yuna left the bedrooms to head for the stairs up. As she reached the end of the adjoining hall, she saw a strange looking man dressed in blue and brown, carrying a large pack on his back.

“Excuse me?” Yuna said to the man who was walking around in circles. She didn’t want to seem rude, but the man was blocking her way to the stairs. The man was also muttering things like “no, no,” or “that won’t do…”

At Yuna’s voice, he looked up at her in surprise. Then he surprised her by exclaiming “My Lady!”

“You… know me?” Yuna asked hesitantly. She didn’t realize she was so recognizable that complete strangers knew her from one glance. Also, the ‘Lady’ title startled her too since she held the belief that only people who have accomplished great things get that title like Summoners, or Sir Auron, or the Maesters. After all, she is only a beginner Guardian.

Too bad she didn’t realize how much fame in a name, no matter what kind it is, spreads faster than forest fire.

“Ah, pardon, me lady,” said the strange man, and he made a cursory bow. “I am O’aka XXIII, merchant extraordinaire!”

“P-Pleased to meet you,” Yuna stuttered, bewildered. There were twenty-two O’akas before him? “What are doing here O’aka?”

“Well you see me lady,” said O’aka. “I’m a merchant, an entrepreneur. I’m going all around the world selling exotic things.” Then he glanced down at what Yuna gathered was her outfit that he was appraising. “You have an interesting outfit my lady,” he commented.

“Oh, it’s my modified version of the gunner dressphere,” Yuna answered, and she pointed at the sphere around her neck to show him.

“Fascinating!” O’aka exclaimed, “but no, it won’t do. It won’t do at all.” He continued to mutter incoherently.

“Sorry me lady,” O’aka waved, moving aside. “I won’t keep you, unless of course you wanted to buy something from me?”

“Um, not now…” Yuna said, thinking of the huge pile of items her group still needs to use.

O’aka looked dejected, “right…”

“But if we do, I’ll be sure to come to you O’aka,” Yuna continued, giving the merchant a small smile of encouragement.

“Well thank you me Lady,” O’aka perked back up, “thank you for the thought. I will see you around then.”

“Bye,” Yuna waved before running up the stairs. She would still remember O’aka, but not until much later, and when she does, they would be running into the exuberant merchant at the most opportune times.

* * *

 

Living on the small and isolated island of Besaid, Yuna tended to forget that both she and Tidus are famous in Spira because of their parents even though there were constant reminders from other people and from visitors. Tidus seems to be more aware of it, or at least not as surprised about it when he became surrounded by well-wishers from all over the boat. The strangest part of the event is seeing Tidus conducting the prayer to the people, as is his duty.

Yuna walked across the deck of the ship, feeling the sea breeze and revelling in it. The boarding of the Summoner party attracted a lot of attention from other people already on the ship and they were all chatting away.

And gossiping.

“Hey, I hear there’s a new Summoner.”

“Yeah, a really new one, I hear he’s the son of the famous Sir Jecht.”

“Ha, you mean infamous. I heard he was quite the drunk when he was in Bevelle, and he even claimed to be from Zanarkand!”

“Shhhh, have some respect! Sir Jecht was Lord Braska’s Guardian, and they did a great deed for us all.”

“S-sorry!”

Yuna shook her head at the gossip and focused on Tidus who waved to her, before detaching himself from the crowd and jumping onto the boat rails, causing audible gasps everywhere.

Yuna could only laugh in response. Tidus is still Tidus no matter how much of a Yevonite he was acting like earlier, or even as a proper Summoner. She ran up and leapt onto the rails as well, causing Tidus to smile.

The two of them looked out into the sea, feeling the cool wind blow through them. Although the people below them are scared and worried for them, Kimahri is nearby, and that is good enough for the both of them.

“Yuna,” Tidus began, “there is one thing I’ve always wondered about my old man.”

“I think you mean Zanarkand, am I right?” said Yuna, and Tidus didn’t seem surprised at all that Yuna knew his thoughts.

“Yeah, I grew up being told all about Zanarkand by him. All the lights, the tall buildings… How Blitzball was an elite sport there with the biggest and most powerful water sphere ever built… And everyone else here all say the same thing: that he appeared out of nowhere in Spira, claiming that he just went out to sea to practise Blitzball in Zanarkand and… ended up here.”

“Mmmm,” Yuna murmured, lost in her memories of the stories that Jecht told her when he visited Besaid. He even showed her his Blitzball moves, which Tidus has now perfected as well, even if he seemed surprised to do so every time he pulled it off.

“It’s a strange story,” said Yuna, “but I believe him.”

“Most people didn’t,” said Tidus, causing Yuna to look at him in slight surprise. She never gave thought to whether Tidus personally believed it or disparaged Jecht just like everything else about the man.

“But you do, don’t you?”

“…yeah,” Tidus replied, though his answer came a little grudgingly. “He’s not like anyone else in Spira you know? Even with all his bad habits, he always seemed… removed from everyone’s problems. Then again, I don’t know the reason for why he joined Braska.”

“Do you want to find out?” Yuna asked tentatively and she jumped off the rails with Tidus following suit.

Before Tidus could answer though, the boat started lurching violently, throwing the two of them in different directions

“Tidus!” Yuna cried out. She was pushed to her hands and knees by the force of the boat and ended up sliding and hitting the deck wall. Water splashed everywhere and she couldn’t see her blonde friend. Then a blue blur came into her vision and through her watery vision, she could see Kimahri.

“I’m fine!” She yelled to the Ronso, “where’s Tidus?”

Kimahri made another leap over the flowing water and out of Yuna’s sight for a few minutes. Then came charging back with Tidus in his arms.

“Kimahri, I’m fine!” Tidus protested, wiggling to be let down. “It’s only water.”

“I wonder what happened,” said Yuna, standing up when the boat finally stopped rocking. “Did we hit a giant wave?” Then she noticed a commotion happening at the front of the boat and the three of them ran over. Two harpoons are being pushed out onto the deck.

“What’s going on here?” Tidus asked.

One of the ship’s men pushing the harpoon, looked up at the question. “It’s Sin! Spotted in the water!”

“We have to slow it down,” one of the other men yelled.

“No, wait!” Rikku cried, surging onto the deck, “we’ll all be dragged under with him!”

“Sin is heading for Kilika, we have to distract it,” one of the men replied.

“Please forgive us Lord Summoner,” the first man addressed Tidus again, “but our families are there.”

Faced with such a dilemma, Tidus gave a nod to show his support. “Then do it,” he said firmly, “whatever it takes to lead Sin away from there.”

The crewmembers shot at what looked like a huge fin in the water, and managed to latch one on the fin. The boat lurched and everyone scrambled to hold onto something. Kimahri swooped in to anchor both Tidus and Yuna but neither of them stopped watching Sin. More water splashed onto the deck and a loud cry could be heard.

Then Yuna noticed movement heading for the boat. Sin was shooting back at them!

“Sin spawn!” She cried out, getting everyone’s attention.

Tidus quickly drew out his sword and Yuna spun her pistols into grip as the Guardians and Summoner ran out to destroy the spawned creatures.

The battle was on.

* * *

 

“Take that!” Rikku threw a giant flash bomb on top of one of the shorter Sin spawn while Yuna was rapidly shooting the flying one above it. The other guardians didn’t seem to have much trouble destroying the small Sin spawns either while Tidus took care of the bigger ones with Valefor alongside Auron.

Yuna glanced at the fin for a quick moment, wondering if there was anything they could do to stop Sin from moving further. Battling all the Sin spawn didn’t do much with Sin still tugging the boat.

A haste spell was cast over Rikku as Tidus joined the girls, and he noticed where Yuna was looking.

“Sin isn’t slowing down,” said Yuna worriedly. “Should we do something about it?”

Up above, Valefor was circling the boat.

“I think I can use her overdrive,” Tidus said, squinting his eyes and looking up at his Aeon. “Valefor!” He called out and pointed towards the front of the ship, “Use Energy Ray on that fin!”

A loud screech came from the bird-Aeon before a powerful beam erupted, striking the fin dead on. Sin let out an even louder roar that everyone had to block their ears from and then the boat got even rockier.

“I hope I didn’t screw this up,” Tidus muttered, only loud enough for Yuna to hear and she reached out and held her Summoner tightly as the waves tilted the boat higher and higher.

Then, as quick as it started, everything suddenly calmed down, leaving the passengers to crawl out from their hiding places. It was also suddenly sunny again, like nothing had happened.

“Where’s Sin?” Tidus swivelled his head rapidly, trying to locate which direction Sin had gone.

“We survived… we survived,” Rikku was chanting over and over. Lulu ran over with Auron at her heels. “Is everyone alright?”

“I’m alright,” said Yuna. “I think we all are.”

“Oh I hope Sin didn’t go to Kilika…” said Rikku and everyone nodded in agreement. But it seemed as though everything was calm again in the sea.

* * *

 

Back in the cabins, Rikku approached Tidus who was reading the old books he found on Time Magic.

“Hey T?” Tidus looked up to see Rikku smiling down at him.

“Yeah?”

“Can I… see your sword?” Rikku asked.

Tidus looked at her in confusion before shrugging and handing over the Crystal Sword and returned to his book. Rikku held up the blue and yellow sword and seemed to be examining it, poking it, and waving it around.

“Careful with that!” Tidus yelped, his book falling onto the bed, “do you even know how to use a sword Rikku?”

“Nope,” Rikku answered cheerfully, putting the sword back down, “but I know how to use materials, and I think I can do some amazing upgrades for your sword. Cool, huh?”

“That’s awesome,” Tidus replied. “Uh, but then I don’t have a weapon.”

“Oh silly, I’ve got’cha covered,” Rikku pulled out a red-silver blade, “found it in the ruins when I was excavating, it should work for you for now.”

Tidus grabbed sword, weighing it in his hands, and making a couple of swings. “Just how temporary would this be?” He asked.

“Dunno,” Rikku shrugged, “I’ll be scouring around for materials, and it could take a while. We could always buy another sword. But you know, this sword,” she lifted Tidus’s Crystal Sword back up and hefted it over her shoulders, “will be the best weapon you’ll ever have. Trust me.” She finished with a wink, before walking out of the room.

Tidus was left staring after her, and holding the red sword in his hands, but he wasn’t upset about it at all.

Auron walked up in that moment, took one look at Tidus and his new sword, and shoved a second object at him, causing the Summoner to stumble back a little.

“Auron what-?” Tidus trailed before taking notice that the object was a staff: A black and white pole with a crystal green ball at the tip and ornamentally decorated in gold.

“You will also need this.” Was all Auron said in a tone that brokered no arguments before he also walked out the door.

“…you could’ve asked if I wanted it,” Tidus complained to the empty room. But he attached the second weapon with straps to his back. It might come in handy later.

* * *

 

It was bright and early the next day when the boat docked at the Island of Kilika, next to its sole dwelling: the village of Kilika.

Kilika Port is a lot like Besaid in that it is sunny, warm, and by the ocean. But as Yuna viewed the wood paneled village, and the forest behind it, she thought that Kilika was a lot… lusher than Besaid was. Still, the delicious hanging fruits, round buildings, and happy children running around reminded her a lot of home.

The group stepped off the plank of the S.S. Likki, ready to take on the next part of the pilgrimage.

“We should rest for just a little while,” said Lulu, leading them to a building that functioned as a hotel. “Then we can head out in the afternoon.”

“Sounds good,” Yuna nodded, and the small group quickly split off. She noticed that Kimahri stayed with Tidus who was perusing the shops and seemed to have somehow acquired a staff on his back now, and Auron wasn’t very far behind the both of them. Lulu was speaking with the innkeeper. The only one who stayed outside was Rikku who took off down the planks, running alongside the water. Yuna decided to follow her, just in case people recognized her as an Al-Bhed.

They skidded to a halt just outside the village and near the entrance of the forests, peering into it.

“Looks kind of scary in there,” said Rikku.

“I’m sure we’ll be fine,” said Yuna, though she knew she didn’t sound very reassuring.

“Good thing we have a bigger group. I’ll take care of the small fiends, and you can take the big ones,” Rikku laughed, shrugging her worries off.

“Very funny Rikku,” Yuna deadpanned, “let’s just let Auron take care of it.”

“Haha, good idea,” said Rikku, but then she spotted something behind Yuna. “Oh, speaking of the group…”

“You two are eager to go,” Lulu commented, as she, Tidus, Kimahri, and Auron walked up to the edge.

“Yuna wants to battle lots of fiends!” Rikku said, laughing, and poking Yuna on her side.

Yuna mock-pouted in response, “and Rikku said she’s so strong, she could take on all of them for us.”

Rikku was horrified, “No I didn’t!”

Tidus was snickering at the girls’ antics, glad that part of his journey could still be happy and fun. He was very glad to be traveling with all of them.

* * *

 

The group ate lunch first at the small hotel before heading down a well-beaten path into the forests on the outskirts of the village.

Kilika’s forests were thick and, as Rikku and Yuna thought earlier, full of fiends. Though most of them seemed susceptible to Lulu’s fire magic, or the fire elements that were susceptible to water. Yuna didn’t mind; she was enjoying target practise by shooting the flying wasp-types from afar.

After the intensity of fighting Sin Spawn on the S.S. Likki, the fiends in the forest seemed like child’s play to the Summoner party. Auron doesn’t even have to lift his sword much when there were no armour-protected fiends, and Tidus got Kimahri to handle the small ones and only went into the fight directly when the fiend was too fast for anyone but him. The only other problem was when the fiends inflicted poison, but Tidus was also ready with an antidote.

“Kimahri bought a lot in Kilika Port,” Tidus explained to Yuna while throwing one to Rikku who happened to get stung by a wasp after she stole some gil from it. He frowned slightly before adding, “I haven’t mastered the Esuna spell to get rid of poison and stuff yet.”

Rikku sighed in relief after emptying the small vial; being poisoned was painful to endure.

Before they reached the crossroads though, some Crusaders came running up to the party to warn them that the King of Kilika’s forest fiends, the Ochu was sitting in the path, refusing to move. He suggested that the party took another route around.

“What do you think, T?” Rikku asked.

“It might be better to get the Aeon at the temple first,” said Auron.

“The Ochu can be nasty fiends to deal with,” Lulu added.

Yuna looked to Tidus to find his eyes were searching for hers, but his eyes were glinting with what she recognized as determination. Yuna felt a smile creep up at the familiar signal, “let’s take it on,” she said with as much confidence as she could. Auron chuckled while Rikku spun forward in anticipation of the upcoming fight, “ready when you are!” She called.

Tidus also ran forward, his second weapon bouncing on his back, his sword in hand, “this time I’m fighting too!” He called back, following Rikku.

“Kimahri watch back,” said Kimahri, also striding forward with his long legs.

Yuna wanted to pout because Rikku and Tidus were already ahead, “wait up guys!” Lulu and Auron nodded to the Crusaders who were staring in surprise and just calmly walked after them.

The Ochu fiend wasn’t hard to battle, just nasty when it causes status effects. At one point Tidus decided to stand back a little and continuously healed everyone after the initial onslaught, and Rikku joined him in throwing antidotes because the poison kept infecting everyone. But Ochu was really susceptible to fire so Lulu unleashed a fury of fire spells that finally defeated the oversized plant fiend. The Crusaders watched in awe of the group’s efforts and bestowed Tidus with a few useful items after the battle, but not before complimenting the group.

Yuna sometimes felt that it was her and Tidus acting as the voice of the group, with Lulu occasionally chiming in: the others didn’t care to talk, and Rikku mostly kept quiet around other people so as to not draw attention to herself.

The rest of the walk up to the temple stairs was mostly routine by now, and between fighting fiends and making sure no one fell into the water, they reached the temple stairs quickly. Rikku even managed to nab a bracer from a fiend before it dissolved into pyreflies and handed it to Auron with a satisfied grin, knowing that he preferred wearing that kind of armour. Auron nodded in thanks.

Tidus looked up at the many stairs in awe before he suddenly grinned. Yuna smiled too, recognizing the twinkle in Tidus’ eyes.

Looking at each other, the two of them simultaneously said, “Race you!” And took off up the steps.

“Wait!” Rikku huffed, “I wanna go too! That’s not fair!” So she took off as well, with Kimahri hot on her heels to make sure all of them stayed safe. In the back, Auron and Lulu walked leisurely, long used to the party’s shenanigans, and not seeing any point in running. The worst that would happen would be a few surprised priests, priestesses, acolytes, and a tired out trio.

The temple rested beyond a plateau when Lulu and Auron happened upon Tidus, Yuna, Rikku, and Kimahri, standing on the round plateau surrounded by trees and gazing out at the beautiful canopy of Kilika.

“It’s so pretty,” Yuna said, breathlessly. The others didn’t say much as they were still taking deep breaths.

“It… was… great exercise,” said Tidus, “and good breathing exercise too.”

“There’s still more stairs though,” Rikku groaned, “but I’ll be in great shape after this.”

Lulu chuckled quietly before saying, “there’s just one more set and we’ll be at Kilika temple.”

“Come on slowpokes,” said Auron, who was already standing by the stairs.

“Who are you calling slow?” Tidus said, eyebrows wiggling mischievously.

Yuna groaned, “no Tidus, don’t cast Slow on Auron. We’re almost there anyways.”

Tidus huffed, “fine, ruin my fun. But it would be funny to watch Auron puffing slowly up the stairs, don’t you think?”

“Yes, but we’ll save that for our imagination, because Auron will kill you.” Yuna responded.

“Oh alright.” Tidus said with a small pout, and headed up the steps to the temple.

Kilika Temple was much more open than Besaid’s had been. In that there was not much of a roof to block sunlight from flooding the entrance, and there were more steps curving in and out of the middle. At the far end, a priest stood by the entrance to what Yuna presumed was the entrance to the trials. There were torches lit everywhere, even in the bright daylight.

“Shouldn’t we rest for a while?” Rikku asked, looking at the stone steps as potential seating places.

“I’m not tired anymore,” said Tidus, “let’s go inside and I can get my next Aeon.”

Lulu was already finished with talking to the priest and was heading down the steps into the heart of the temple. The rest of the group ran to catch up.

Yuna’s first impression was that this circular receiving area of the temple looked so similar to the one back home, but then she started noticing the theme of fire and reddish tones everywhere. The Aeon symbol on the ground was a different one too and decorated in elaborate patterns of red, purple, gold, and green colours. The statues of past Summoners were slightly different too. Tidus was standing by a specific statue and Yuna recognized it as Lord Ohalland. She quickly walked over to Tidus who was finishing his prayers there.

“Lord Ohalland.” Tidus said with a reverent tone as Yuna approached.

Champion Blitzball Player for the Kilika Beasts, and a High Summoner. It was no wonder that Tidus looked up to Lord Ohalland.

In those times, some 230 years or so back, Lord Ohalland was able to become a legendary Blitzball player before Sin returned to end High Summoner Gandof’s Calm, and wreak havoc on Spira once more. Nowadays, Blitzball players often prayed to Lord Ohalland’s statue for good fortune in their games.

Tidus was praying for more than that.

“Are you ready?” Lulu asked from behind them.

Tidus nodded and stood up. Together, they headed for the Cloister of Trials.

The first things Tidus noticed when inside the Cloister of Trials as they descended down the circular elevator were the dim lighting, and the red clay used to build everything. It was no wonder there were so many torches. But as the group crowded closely around each other to be able to walk across the narrow bridge, the fire seemed to be everywhere.

Rikku jumped back in surprise, “look at that! A door of fire!”

“This is the trial,” said Lulu, ever calm and unshaken. “We will start by using the spheres to get us past each wall of fire.”

Tidus knew that a Summoner’s journey was a very gruelling affair. He had been drilled enough in his studies on that point with the priests at the temple. So far, at his second temple, it hasn’t been too bad. Then again, Tidus had absolute trust in all his guardians since he grew up with them all, knew them well, and he knew their strengths and would cover for each other’s weaknesses. The biggest part of the pilgrimage was up to him: to find the strength in himself and his Aeons so that he will defeat Sin. In some ways, to Tidus, fighting the despair and fear of failing to attain the Aeons seemed like the hardest obstacle rather than the usual documented harsh pilgrimage.

Still, it suddenly seemed petty to him that the temples themselves had to have another set of hurdles for the Summoner’s party to go through. Wasn’t it enough that the road was filled with tough fiends and a constant battle against the fear of what death will bring you?

He needed someone to talk to, and he knew exactly whom he could turn to for that.

“Yuna.” From behind Auron who was at the front, Tidus looked for his best friend, who was hanging at the back of the group. He figured it was the perfect secluded position to share a conversation with her, and the two of them continued talking all through the trial and almost paying no heed to the fire blazing around them.

When they arrived at the Chambers’ entrance though, it was a different story.

“Looks like another Summoner is in there,” said Lulu, indicating to the closed doors, though Tidus didn’t really need the commentary as he could already sense that there was someone in the chambers, interacting with the Fayth. There was also another man, tall and muscular, leaning next to the stairs. Tidus presumed he was the Summoner’s Guardian.

As though Lulu’s words were heeded, the door suddenly opened and a woman appeared, clad in the strangest robe design that Tidus has ever seen. Even Yuna was a little surprised at how little the robes covered the woman, and was tied across her front with thin ropes that really left little to the imagination. Her hair, skin, and eyes were all very dark and her hair was tied up in a bun.

Tidus stepped forward; presumably to greet his fellow Summoner, when her eyes suddenly snapped up to meet Tidus’ blue ones.

She asked her question first, “A Summoner, are you?”

Tidus shifted his sword’s hilt inside his robe, suddenly a little nervous. But he managed to respond in polite tones, “Y-Yes, I am Tidus, from the Island of Besaid. These are my Guardians: this is Yuna, my best friend, and this is Lulu-”

“I’m Dona. So you two are Sir Jecht’s son and High Summoner Braska’s daughter?” The woman immediately interrupted. It seemed she wanted to be the one speaking. Yuna stiffened from where she stood next to Tidus. She didn’t like her tone at all.

Tidus didn’t seem to react to the interruption, even if the words ‘Sir Jecht’s son’ always dampened his spirit, and he’s had to harden against them since he heard the words everywhere he went. Occasionally he reacts with anger, but not against a stranger who doesn’t know him or the situation at all. Over the years, that anger was reserved for certain comments, otherwise Tidus has become good at ignoring the name “Jecht” uttered by other Spirans.

“Those are big names to live up to,” the woman continued speaking and looking around the room, “and these are your Guardians, my, what a rabble.” Tidus’ eyes narrowed dangerously at those particular words, but still didn’t say anything in response.

“As I recall, Lord Braska had only two Guardians. Quality over quantity, my dear. Whatever were you thinking? I have need of only one Guardian, right Barthello?” She looked to the tall, muscular man looming next to her.

In response, Kimahri steps up from behind them with a far more intimidating expression. Ronsos were good at those, that and their poker face. Yuna figured it was all the fur they had.

Tidus has had enough of this, but he managed to restrain from his signature explosive anger and responds in a tight voice instead, “I only have as many Guardians as there are people I can trust with my whole being. Seems you’re a little low on that end. And to have so many Guardians is a joy and an honour for me. That, I think, is infinitely better than being my father’s son.”

“And to be Tidus’s Guardian is more than being my father’s daughter,” Yuna added, “but we wouldn’t question your ways.”

“Lady Dona, please leave us in peace.” Tidus finished in a firm tone. His words held an edge to them that belied a heated anger that Tidus is usually well known for. But in this sacred place, and in front of a stranger, he reined it in, refusing to blow his chances over petty words and petty insults.

The Summoner, Dona, harrumphed indignantly, “you two do what you want. Barthello, we’re leaving.”

Rikku watched them leave the chambers, before commenting, “I guess not all Summoners are the same.”

“No, they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes,” said Lulu.

“Well her shape is having a big ego then,” Rikku decided.

“Rikku!” Tidus startled out a scandalized laugh, forgetting all about his anger at Dona.

Yuna was just glad they got through an encounter like that with another Summoner without incident. After all, Tidus-as-Summoner only spoke politely when absolutely necessary but he also wasn’t afraid to speak his mind either. And that could’ve been disastrous.

* * *

 

Tidus didn’t take that long inside Kilika’s chambers, to Yuna’s surprise. Though she logically thought that as time went on, and Tidus got used to his Summoner abilities, it wouldn’t take him very long to gain the next Aeon. Still, it was the better part of the afternoon before Tidus emerged, looking a little tired, but keeping up with the group as they departed.

Like in Besaid, Tidus was silent for most of the journey out of the temple, and his Guardians respected that he needed time to mull over his connection with a new Aeon, and to prepare for the next part of the pilgrimage.

The walk through the forest was also relatively peaceful, with very few fiends coming at them. It was almost unnatural in its stillness that Tidus flinched back in shock, drawing his Guardians’ attention.

A familiar shape reared its head over the tree line that Tidus could feel his heart pounding quickly as he recognized Sin. And it was in the direction of the village!

“The village!” He heard Yuna cry out, but he had already started running ahead. The winds had started picking up, strong enough to impede his movements and strong enough that Auron finally grabbed his arm and flung him into Kimahri who held him tight and leaped behind a tree until the worst of the winds was over. The rest of the party took cover behind trees and under bushes. Yuna was crouched behind Kimahri and sandwiched with Auron who was ready in case she was blown backwards.

The winds suddenly became less of a problem when debris started flying as well, and the group had to shield themselves from wooden planks, straw, dust, and the occasional piece of furniture. It felt like a long time has passed of enduring the shockwaves of destruction

As soon as everything became still again, they ran towards the village to see it in absolute ruin, with a few survivors hurrying to the shores of the water, despair and fear clear on their faces.

“Tidus.” Auron reached out to grasp his Summoner by the sleeve and stop him from walking straight towards the people.

“They need time to accept what happened, to mourn, and to gather their dead.” Said Lulu quietly, her violet eyes reflected the solemn words as she gazed at the people kneeling in shock and crying over their loved ones among the wreckage. “It’s a sad time for everyone, but we need to remain strong. We cannot let the people of Spira see our despair, but rather our courage in the face of despair.”

“A Summoner must stay strong in the face of death,” said Auron, “you can go talk to them soon.”

Yuna stood a little closer to Tidus, providing comfort where she could as they waited within the shrubs of Kilika Forest. A Summoner’s job was not only to travel to defeat to Sin but also to provide support to not just his or her own party, but to the people suffering in Sin’s wake.

But Yuna considered comforting the Summoner in turn to be her job, and that of her fellow guardians and she was determined not to let Tidus down.

As the party re-joined the devastated village, Yuna crouched down to comfort a few of the children and administering potions for any superficial wounds until Tidus could make the rounds for the spiritual healing. She took the moment to reflect on the heavy duties of the Summoner, Tidus’s resolve to take on such duties, and why Spira admires its Summoners so much.

First, a Summoner learns the healing abilities, or white magic, as they are known as which are the ones necessary not just for combat but also for wounds within the mind and spirit. A Summoner’s healing can flow through everyone around them when done properly. This is what Tidus was doing at the moment: forming a circle around him while he used his Prayer to heal every single one of them little by little.

Second, a successful Summoner is able to communicate with the Fayth and summon their power in the form of the Aeons. An Aeon’s strength is directly linked with the strength of the Summoner so the more Tidus gets stronger, the stronger his Aeons will be. Yuna suspected that Tidus hopes to get strong enough that he can use Aeons to protect his Guardians in return.

Finally, the last ability a Summoner can have is to commune with the spirits of the dead and to be able to send them to proper rest in the Farplane rather than let the fear and hatred grow and twist the souls in fiends. This is what is known as a Sending Ceremony, and is usually used in the form of a communicative dance.

All these teachings are part of the basics that an apprentice Summoner must learn to master, in addition to other abilities that come to them naturally as they learn and experience more. Yuna knew Tidus considered himself still a beginner, and that this journey is only at its early stage.

And yet, Yuna mused as she cradled a child in her lap, so much has happened already. So much has already been set in motion that maybe there is no true way to start gently. They can only keep wading on through the chaos, and learn to adapt quickly. At least, even if Sendings are not the main duties of a Summoner and thus are less performed than the other duties, the devastation in Kilika seems to test everything they have.

Tidus has begun to master the first two fundamental duties, and now he has to demonstrate the third in order to fulfill his capability as a true Summoner. Yuna only hopes it isn’t too much pressure for her best friend.

As evening started to emerge, Tidus has made rounds with many of the survivors. He was talking to an elderly lady, Auron and Lulu flanking him as usual. Yuna spotted Rikku huddling further back, staying close to Kimahri. She came to join the group, sensing that formality still needed to be addressed.

The elderly lady was shaking Tidus’ hand, “Thank you my Lord. A Summoner’s confident smile is always a great encouragement to us all.”

“If there’s no other Summoner here, then I will do the Sending,” said Tidus.

A few of the other villagers nonchalantly hovering about suddenly looked pleased, and the lady smiled and performed the prayer in quick responses, hands still shaking, “yes please Summoner! Bless you so much.”

Tidus didn’t know what to say to that one, so he just gave one of his smiles meant to comfort, went through the mechanics of the prayer motions, before walking away to find the burials.

Kimahri left Rikku’s side to join Tidus’s, and Auron took over that spot. Yuna watched the exchange, knowing Rikku wouldn’t want to be too close to the Sending, and she joined Lulu in following after Kimahri and Tidus’s wake. The movements within their little party seemed coordinated and almost ritualistic in itself, fitting in with the sombre atmosphere.

A majority of the village’s dead lay in the water: a testament to Kilika’s place alongside the sea and also Sin’s awful power sweeping everything away. Tidus would have to walk out onto the water to reach the caskets directly. At the closest dock, he set his sword to the ground without taking his eye off the water, and walked up to the edge of the plank. The sun was slowly setting, casting an orange glow on the water’s surface and blended the light with the darkened skies.

Yuna felt like she gasped all the air in her lungs without her realizing it in anticipation as she bore witness to Tidus’s conducting. Neither of them were new to the ritual of Sending, having seen it in the past from a visiting Summoner, but this was Tidus’ first Sending Ceremony since becoming one himself.

Slowly, Tidus stepped onto the water, using his ability to reach out to the pyreflies and manipulate them into keeping him on top of the water gently. It was no small feat to do this but he could not send the souls out of their casket otherwise so he had to make it happen.

For one brief moment, Tidus wondered if perhaps he could dive in and perform the Sending underwater, but dismissed the thought for now. The Sending was not just about being to reach the souls, but also to symbolically bring relief to those still alive, knowing their loved ones will find peace.

His hand reached up to grip the staff still attached to his back, and he debated for one second to whether to use the staff to focus on or not, though it was not really necessary, it helped. He pulled it out with a wide swing but kept his walking pace, going further out to the water.

Yuna wondered what was on Tidus’s mind as he walked out there. Tidus on the other hand was now more or less worried about tripping on his robes, aware of the gazes of his Guardians, and the whole village on his back.

But when he stopped walking and concentrated on feeling the water under his feet, he could feel his nerves slowly slip away. He was on water, and water was as familiar to him as breathing was.

Tidus began waving the staff slowly, focusing not on the item but on the presence of the pyreflies, and then his torso also moved in smooth circular motions. His feet began to almost glide on the water in response to the movements.

In essence, the main purpose of the Sending dance is to focus on moving the pyreflies that make up the souls of the dead, call them up, gather them, and guide them. As Tidus moved, he guided the pyreflies, and as the number of pyreflies grow larger and larger, they also begin to move the world around them, namely the water they inhabited.

Every Summoner has the power and focus to manipulate the energies of pyreflies, and they did it in varying ways to settle the gathering, allowing it to flow around with themselves as the conduit. A Sending is suppose to be filled with energy, and Yuna could see it cracking in the very air around them. Even exhausted as he must be, Tidus continued to imbue his energy into ushering the white lights around him, causing large waves to rise up. Streams of water also shot up, splashing all around the Summoner, but never getting in the way of his movements.

Tidus was letting go of all his thoughts and just focused on the presence of the pyreflies surrounding him and he moved faster and faster, almost mimicking the waves that the swirling lights were producing, causing his white and blue robes to rise gently up and down with him.

Yuna rarely associated Tidus with grace, having seen him walking headfirst into a low branch back in Besaid’s jungle, flopping onto the beach, and generally falling down in a mess of flailing limbs. Usually she was the one between the two moving with proper form, but here, basking in the glow of orange of purple and surrounded by lights of many souls, the flowing movements Tidus was producing was a true dance.

It was probably because he was on water, Yuna realized. Whenever Tidus was in the water, which was likely eighty percent of his time, he moved like he was flying, practically living and breathing the water around him. It calmed him, helped him develop his movements and strength, and gave him great joy when all else was cold and pressing.

Yuna has joked before that Tidus’s blood is mostly made up of water, but watching this mesmerizing performance, she could see it truly was his element.

As the last remaining pyrefly lights vanished into the sky, and Tidus slowed his dance into one last stance, the circle of waves have pushed to a half-formed cocoon around him.

Yuna was reminded of a certain larger-than-life sphere filling up with water.


	2. Sunny Virtues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dream is realized

The boat that had brought them to Kilika was in need of major repair, but the group was told that another one was on the way and will arrive the next day. They had no choice but to stay at the inn for the night, surrounded by grateful villagers.

It has only been a couple of days since the pilgrimage started, but as Yuna laid her head on the lumpy pillow, completely exhausted, it felt like they’ve been doing this for weeks instead of just days.

 

* * *

The next afternoon saw the group standing on dock, watching as another ferry was pulling up. There were familiar faces on it: the Besaid Aurochs who were on their way to the tournament!

There on the deck, was Wakka greeting the party. “Hey! Everything alright?”

A great big smile broke out on Tidus’s face and he waved back with more enthusiasm, “everything’s fine.”

Yuna and Rikku exchanged suspicious grins, but they followed Tidus down to the cabins where they will all be staying for the duration of the trip.

Rikku quickly pulled Yuna aside for questions.

“Yunie, was that who I think it was?”

Yuna raised an eyebrow at the wording, “you mean Wakka? Yes, it was.”

Rikku’s green eyes were lit with excitement at that piece of information. “Wakka.” She repeated, “ _The_ Wakka Miyumi? Tidus’s idol? He’s joined the Besaid Aurochs? How- when did that happen?”

Yuna tapped her chin, remembering back just a couple of days ago. “Well…”

 

(Besaid Beach, three days ago)

Tidus strode up to his gathered team, “hey everyone, this is-”

“Wakka Miyumi!” Jassu actually squealed before Tidus could even finish his sentence, and he jumped forward eagerly past Tidus to the taller man behind him. “I’m a big fan!”

Wakka sheepishly rubbed his head, “uh thanks.”

“Right… this guy,” Tidus continued to announce, ignoring the antics of his teammates, “is going to be my replacement.” That quickly silenced the lot of them as they all stared round-eyed in astonishment.

“So let’s play ya?” Wakka said enthusiastically into the silence, and some of the team members managed to shake off their shock, nodding quickly in response. “What’s your team motto Aurochs?”

“Victory!” Botta yelled out from the back. It was a motto Tidus changed for them in one of his first acts as a young captain.

“That’s… right,” Wakka said, a little taken back by the sudden loud shout, but he quickly recovered, calling back with equal enthusiasm.

“We are playing in the biggest tournament of Bliztball season! What’s our goal?”

“Victory!”

“Victory!” Tidus echoed.

“Victory! Victory! Victory!” The Besaid Aurochs chorused excitedly, getting louder and louder.

“Welcome to the Aurochs Wakka! You guys be good,” said Tidus, “and don’t be late for the boat! Team, practice with this guy first, show him some of our new plays, and I will see you all in Luca!”

“Yes Captain!” The team chanted in unison, waving salutes.

Tidus and Yuna exchanged wide smiles as they walked away.

Mission accomplished.

 

(Present Day)

“Tidus asked Wakka if he was willing to head the Aurochs in his place,” said Yuna.

“And Wakka said yes just like that?” Rikku said incredulously. “The Wakka Miyumi, a star in the Blitzball circuit, is willing to play for a team that hasn’t won any tournaments in a long time?”

Yuna smiled knowingly, “I think Tidus made quite an impression. You weren’t there Rikku; Wakka actually asked to join, and even joked about going down on his knees to ask too.”

Rikku’s eyes were as wide as they can be, and she stamped her foot loudly on the boat planks in excitement before realizing she was drawing attention to herself in that way, so she turned to angle herself away from the other people’s stares.

“Do we do anything about this Yunie?” Rikku said in a soft tone, almost a whisper.

Yuna blinked in surprise. She didn’t think this was information that they could do anything about right now, and she said so as much.

Rikku only let out a soft sigh and a shrug of her arms in response, all her earlier energy deflating. She understood the message behind it as well.

By the time the two of them had finished their little conversation, the rest of the party had drifted away, and Rikku also went to do her own thing. Yuna was left to quietly store some of her things at her bed before wandering out down the hall. She met O’aka the struggling merchant from before and gave him some of her leftover gil, finding that doing so made her feel better. The group had gotten more gifts from Kilika’s people, despite their protests that the ravaged village needed it more but those fell on deaf ears. Even Rikku didn’t feel like taking out her sphere to capture images of their farewell this time.

The image of a destroyed island and a disparate people would remain clear in their minds for a long time.

Yuna climbed the stairs to the main deck where most of the passengers were milling about, taking in the fresh sea air. She waved in passing at the Besaid Aurochs who were sitting among boxes and discussing with each other. Wakka also looked to be in deep discussion with them as well.

Not too far away at the railings was Tidus, adopting a casual stance and staring out into the sea. A cursory glance told Yuna that Kimahri was standing a small distance away, ever the protective shadow while the rest of the Guardians were also hanging about but within sight of their Summoner as well.

Kimahri nodded at Yuna as she approached before crossing his arms again. Tidus didn’t react when Yuna went right up next to him, bumping elbows gently.

“Gil for your thoughts?” said Yuna.

“Ah, it’s nothing.” Tidus shook his head, “I was just thinking that I really need to master more helpful spells. It’s only going to get harder from here, unfortunately.”

Yuna took a breath, focusing on the ocean in order to clear her thoughts, before saying, “is this not what you were expecting?”

“Well, it’s not that… just that it’s been really… fast. So much has happened already and here I am still thinking I’m just starting out.”

“Well, you are starting out, and it’s only been a couple of days since we left Besaid.” Yuna pointed out.

“Yeah… maybe I’m thinking too much, but Kilika showed me why I’m doing this: Sin must be stopped.”

“I know.” Yuna said softly. She knew more than ever that she never wants to see another Kilika happen again. But she also didn’t like Melancholy Tidus right now because this Tidus might end up sticking around for the whole pilgrimage if left unchecked so she decided to change subjects.

“So,” Yuna began, “Wakka and the Aurochs are here, don’t you want to join them?”

That got Tidus’s attention and he whipped his head around and stared at her, “W-Wha...” Tidus stammered.

Yuna continued before Tidus could get another word in, “I bet they’re sitting around discussing uh…” despite growing up around Blitzball fanatics, Yuna still didn’t know much about the sport, “…formations in the water! I bet Wakka is showing them how to… tackle! How to tackle someone!”

For a moment Tidus stared, then he burst out laughing.

“Aw Yuna, you’re sort of bad at this!” He said, in between laughs. Yuna could feel herself go red. That was not how she wanted this conversation to go.

“T-then you should go and… talk to Wakka, show him your moves, impress him!” Yuna retorted, and it was Tidus’s turn to blush.

“I’m sure he’s busy…” said Tidus, realizing that normally he would join the team but this time he wasn’t because he unconsciously wanted to avoid talking to Wakka. He did not want to dwell on what it could possibly mean. He mentally flailed about for another subject to change the conversation before Yuna could tease him anymore, and he hit upon a good one.

“Yuna, what about your spheres?”

“Huh?” Yuna was taken aback by the question, “What about them?”

"You got two new ones didn’t you? We should look at what they can do while we have the chance.”

Tidus had a good point so Yuna conceded, and the two of them headed back below deck for some privacy.

She took out the sphere with the flower insignia floating inside it first, but when she tried to activate it, nothing happened.

“Maybe it needs fixing? I did find it in an abandoned place.” Tidus suggested, trying to hide his disappointment.

Yuna pocketed it, making a mental note to find any Al-Bhed who might know more, or ask Rikku if she could help later.

The second sphere that Rikku gifted her is proof that she was thinking in the right direction. Her outfit transformed in a glow of light this time when she activated it.

Tidus was always fascinated by how Dresspheres worked, and the fact that they were supposedly an Al-Bhed invention is something neither of them (or anyone else in the party) would ever say.

When the light faded, Yuna is dressed in a spectrum of magenta that fades to purple from her neck to her shoes. A half crown sat in her cropped hair made of a zig-zag pattern and matching jewellery hung loosely around her neck and waist made of pale gold coins. In her hand were a few overly large cards, and the black spade from the sphere decorated her chest.

“Wow…” Tidus breathed in amazement.

Yuna inspected herself, at the cards in her hand, and then moved around to get a feel for the costume. It wasn’t uncomfortable, though a little restricting. She felt a different kind of power coming from this Dressphere; different from her gunner and samurai ones.

“So from the cards in your hand, it looks like your powers are based on gambling? Luck?” Tidus guessed.

“This Dressphere is called Lady Luck,” said Yuna, as if she was reciting from a manual but she was actually concentrating on the messages in the sphere, “it uses a combination of luck and skill to attack with slots, dice, and cards.” Then she grinned over her cards, “or I just throw a card at an enemy and it will hurt a lot.”

Tidus grinned back, “That sounds good to me.”

 

* * *

The next morning, when they were to dock in Luca, was a very special day.

Yes, Luca was abuzz with the opening celebration of the hugely anticipated annual Blitzball tournament, but Yuna was more occupied with something else on this very day.

She and Rikku were currently sneaking up to the door to the boys’ cabin, and then they burst in yelling in unison.

“Happy Birthday Tidus!”

“…”

The reactions they received were not quite as enthusiastic.

Auron was not startled, still sitting in his chair and very much awake. Not much could startle him really, not when Yuna and Tidus have been pulling stuff like this for years. Kimahri too, was also awake at this early hour, standing guard at the door but didn’t even react to the outburst. He could sense the intruders meant no harm.

As for Tidus? He simply threw a pillow in the general direction of the noise and kept his eyes shut. Yuna supposed it was for the best; they won’t get many mornings like this where sleeping in was an actual possibility.

Rikku though, was not giving up and was already by Tidus’s bed and poking him.

“Rikku,” Tidus groaned, swatting at her blindly, “we’ve nowhere to be until the boat… docks. Kimahri will tell me… leave me alone…” He was asleep again.

Yuna giggled, and decided to be nice this morning, dragging her cousin by the arms. “Come on Rikku, we should let him be for now. It’s his birthday after all so he gets to do whatever he wants.”

“Oh fine,” Rikku pouted in response and let herself be dragged away.

After Tidus was finally awake, he called his Guardians together for an impromptu meeting inside his cabin.

“So, I talked to Wakka last night,” Tidus began, electing to ignore Rikku and Yuna sprouting identical grins, “and he brought up the point that I should play at least once in a tournament before continuing with the pilgrimage.”

There was no answer, the guardians simply looked at their Summoner expectantly. Yuna held her breath. Was Tidus going to do it?

“I decided that… I will play one more time,” said Tidus, then he waited for any objections.

There was a small pause. Yuna was happy to hear that, and so was Rikku. Both knew how much this would mean to Tidus so they simply smiled in response. Kimahri as usual just nodded in support, and so did Lulu.

All Auron said was, “if you think you can handle this in the middle of your pilgrimage.”

Tidus nodded emphatically, “we decided on rotations between me, Wakka, and Botta. I will play in second and third round, but that’s only if the Aurochs can get past the first.” A determined glint shined in his blue eyes and he said, “And I know they can.”

Auron nodded in approval.

“That’ll be good motivation for them too!” said Rikku with a friendly slap on Tidus’s shoulders, and everyone agreed with her statement, to Tidus’s embarrassment.

When the boat pulled into Luca, the sun was up high in the sky. The tournament was going to kick off in only a few hours so there was much activity going on in port and in the main city. Tidus watched from his vantage point atop the boat’s railings in awe. Next to him was Yuna who was shielding her eyes from the sun in order to get a good view of the activities and celebrations as well.

The newscast blared all throughout the city and port, revving people up for the games with exciting news and gave the introductions when the Bliztball teams began arriving in town.

_Ah, over there! The ships carrying the players are arriving now!_

_This would be dock #2_

Dock #2 happened to be the docking of their ship, the S.S. Winno, that Tidus and his group were on. It was also carrying Bliztball players from three different places.

Tidus remembered that they were on the ship with them but he hadn’t paid them much attention, as focused as he was on the Aurochs, Yuna, and the rest of his guardians.

Yuna on the other hand remembered seeing them milling about, but she was also too preoccupied to pay them any attention. Though, she did remember seeing the Aurochs actively avoid being noticed by them, probably because they didn’t want any trouble…

The commentary continued as they all disembarked the ship.

_Bobba: Ah! All the way from Kilika, it’s the Kilika Beasts! High Summoner Ohalland used to play for them – which is always a big name to live up to. Their home was recently attacked by Sin wasn’t it Jimma?_

_Jimma: Yes, Bobba. They’re going to be pulling out all the stops to try and bring back the cup this year. Exciting, isn’t it folks? Our next team off the ramp is… Well well well! The Besaid Aurochs! A decent team to get through at least the first round in the past few years, though they still haven’t won the cup for 23 straight! I hear that the Son of Jecht was supposed to play for them this year._

_Bobba: That’s right Jimma! But I think last minute changes mean that he’s not playing anymore._

_Jimma: Really? Well, what could this mean Bobba?_

_Bobba: There are rumours everywhere Jimma. We just have to see what’s up when the tournament starts. And moving on, our next team off the board is… our very own Luca Goers! They’ve got power, they’ve got speed, and they’ve got teamwork! They’re an all-around first-class team, and they are going to bring back the cup again! Look at the crowd there, folks! The Luca Goers are Number One!_

Rikku folded her arms in mild annoyance as she listened to the announcers, “Sheesh, and I thought sports announcers were supposed to be neutral.”

Tidus frowned lightly and commented, “You know, I never realized it until just now.”

Yuna only looked away to hide her giggles at her friends’ disapproving frowns. There was movement in the group of people near them and someone bounced past them. His red hair was unmistakable.

“Wait, is he…?” Tidus suddenly looked up in surprise as Wakka had emerged from within the group of Aurochs at the dock and jumped onto a cargo box with a megaphone in hand.

“Stop right there Goers!” Wakka says into the mike.

One of the Goers, Tidus recognized him as Bickson who was also a great player on the team, sneers when he sees who was up on the cargo crate. “Well if it isn’t our Wakka! Slinking back to the team already? Couldn’t find another team to lose with?”

Wakka glared at him directly and looked ready to retort, but instead he lifted the megaphone up and declared to the gathering crowd, “I am officially announcing that I am playing with the Aurochs! And this year I’m taking the cup without the Goers! And I know we’re going to win, you know why? Because we also have the Son of Sir Jecht himself playing for the team, and taking us to victory!

At this point Tidus had to intervene, and he hisses “Wakka, get down from there!”

_Jimma: Well folks, it looks like some drama is going down there at dock #2! Bliztball legend Wakka Miyumi has announced he is playing for the Aurochs now! Was there a player transfer I wasn’t aware of?_

_Bobba: It looks like it Jimma, and he’s just announced that the Son of Sir Jecht is actually playing! Exciting things are happening as we speak! How will this change the tournament?_

Soon after Wakka had gotten down from the cargo, a few people of the crowd were already leaving in a hurry and the party couldn’t help but overhear them speaking.

“Maester Mika is here! The number 3 dock!”

“Let’s go see!”

Lulu stopped, a contemplative look came over her face. “I believe Maester Mika is celebrating his fiftieth this year,” she said.

“Then we should all go see him,” Yuna suggested.

Everyone agreed that it was a good idea except Rikku who had a hesitant look on her face. Most Al-Bhed don’t agree with Yevon’s teachings, and wouldn’t want to see a Maester.

“Uh you guys go ahead,” said Rikku. “I have ummm stuff to do in town. You know, important work that needs to be done, right now.”

“Sure,” said Tidus and then added, “I think Kimahri should go with you. Is that okay Kimahri?”

Kimahri nodded, knowing that the rest of Guardians will be with Tidus for the next short while.

“Great!” Rikku said enthusiastically, latching onto the Ronso, “I’ll come find you guys in the stadium! Let’s go Big Blue!”

Wakka scratched his head, watching Rikku and Kimahri walk off. “I wonder what’s so important that she can’t even stay to see a Maester.”

Tidus and Yuna exchanged confused looks. Does Wakka not realize that Rikku is an Al-Bhed?

 

* * *

Rikku weaved around the masses of people walking all over the place. She was used to using her small frame to do so until she stopped and realized that she was leaving Kimahri behind and looked over her shoulders to keep track of her companion. Kimahri though, walked at a sedate pace, most people giving the looming Ronso a wide berth so he was easily in pace with Rikku.

The blonde hummed in contemplation of where to go first. She had many projects to complete, especially Tidus’s blade which she was already imagining a light-weight but deadly sheet of metal laid with blue and gold tones to match. Then she also had accessories for both herself and Yuna to figure out, and possibly Lulu’s and Tidus’s. She figured Kimahri and Auron were better equipped than the rest of their group, at least for the time being, so she won’t focus on them just yet.

 Lost in her thoughts, she almost didn’t hear someone call her name.

“Rikku!”

“What?” Rikku turned around, expecting someone from her Summoner party to be calling her. Instead she came face to face with somewhat familiar people.

“Rikku! Ed ec oui!”

“Oh!” Rikku exclaimed, recognizing the players from the Al-Bhed Psyches Blitzball team. She had forgotten that they would be here to take part.

“Rao, kuut du caa oui,” she responded.

One of the females of the team spoke, “Ouin vydran fyc funneat. Fa fana dumt oui nyh ehdu Ceh.”

“Vrydran? E vunkud. E ahtat ib fedr vneahtc. Luimt oui mad res ghuf E's veha?” said Rikku, and then she remembered what exactly she was doing in Luca.

“Ur oayr, bmayca tuh'd damm yhouha, pid E ryja zuehat so vneaht'c bemknesyka. Cu oui'na kuhhy ryja du mayja res ymuha.”

“Fryd?” The Al-Bhed Psyches exclaimed, “Fryd femm ouin vydran cyo ypuid drec?”

“Damm res E's fedr rec heala drah. Ra'mm kad ed.” Rikku answered, “E kuddy ku, kuut milg!”

She turned to Kimahri who had stayed close by the entire time. “Sorry for the delay Kimahri, we should get going.”

“Kimahri not worried,” said Kimahri for the first time in a while.

“You really are a Ronso of few words,” Rikku laughed, before giving a wave to the Psyches and heading off to the square where the important shops she needed to visit are located.

With Kimahri standing nearby, Rikku had no trouble negotiating with the storeowners for specific items, and he was also helpful in carrying all that stuff too. There was still a little time left before the tournament began so Rikku thought they could rest for a bit at a bar. She could also use the opportunity to listen in to what people around Luca were saying.

When they entered one, the sphere screens were blaring the pre-game newscasts and many people were chattering away with the latest gossip, but what caught Kimahri’s attention were the two Ronsos standing nearby.

Rikku managed to catch the words of a few people speculating on who exactly is the Son of Jecht that Wakka had mentioned earlier, and that they would love to meet him, but then she realized Kimahri wasn’t with her anymore. He was crowded by the two Ronsos from earlier.

Rikku realized that this was not going to be a friendly confrontation and quickly walked over to join Kimahri for backup.

The less hairy Ronso was talking. Rikku thought it sounded like taunting. Next to them, Kimahri actually smaller and not as bulky; it was jarring to her to that there were others bigger than the biggest person in her life. But then again, she hadn’t met many Ronsos outside of their Kimahri.

“Why not talk, Kimahri? Not see Yenke for ten years! Say something! Kimahri forget Yenke? Forget Biran?”

The other Ronso, Biran, said, “Leave Kimahri, Yenke. Kimahri is small Ronso. Kimahri so small can’t see Yenke and Biran’s faces.”

Yenke laughs. It is a mocking laugh. “Kimahri forget Ronso friends? We taught you much at time of horn-molt! Biran taught Kimahri to be strong Ronso!”

“Maybe taught too much,” said Biran. The larger Ronso flicks his arm, rather rudely in Rikku’s opinion, at Kimahri.

“You can take them Kimahri,” Rikku spoke up, but Kimahri doesn’t move. He just walks away, leaving Rikku sputtering for a moment before turning her nose up at the Ronso, showing her disapproval, before following Kimahri out.

“I don’t know what that was about, but I guess there’s no point talking to jerks like them,” Rikku muttered to herself.

She and Kimahri caught up with the rest of the group in the team locker rooms where the Aurochs were settling in to get ready.

“I sent Wakka to the match-up draws,” Tidus explained when Rikku joined them. “I figured he might want to see this part through, and it might be a long shot but who knows? We could get seeded even.”

Suddenly, Wakka burst through the doors, “We’re playing the Al-Bhed Psyches first. If we win, we’re in the finals! That’s right guys, we got seeded!”

Tidus gaped while the rest of the team burst into cheers.

Letty leaned over to tap Tidus on the shoulder, “that means you’re playing with us in the final ya Captain?”

“Ah- yeah, yes! Let’s do this and go all the way to the championship!” said Tidus, quickly recovering.

“Yes Captain!” The team saluted.

Tidus turned to Wakka with a sheepish smile, “I guess I’m still captain huh?”

Wakka laughed, throwing his head back. His laugh was a deep and hearty sound. Tidus found that he hearing it. “Of course you are! Your name is listed there ya? I didn’t change it.”

“I-I knew that!” Tidus said, a slight blush spread on his face, and he continued. “Well, we’ll be in the stands,” he gestured to the rest of his guardians who were waiting patiently by the door. “Good luck!”

No sooner than the party had seated themselves in the stands did the opening ceremony start, everyone quieted as Maester Mika came out on the podium overlooking the entire stadium.

“Today on this glorious day, players from all over Spira have assembled here… to participate in this great contest of bravery, skill, and strength.” Maester Mika spoke evenly through the sound sphere, “All of these fine teams, equally renowned, deserve to win the cup today. Such as the nature of this contest. Let us, the spectators, play our role accordingly. Let us sing to the glory of the winners, and applaud equally for the valour of the defeated. Contestants, may Yevon be with you.”

The first match started up with much fervour, and the commentators’ voices went above the crowd in order to give a run down of the plays going on.

Since the Aurochs were seeded this time, they wouldn’t play until later. The first few matches were to decide who among the remaining four teams would get to be seeded, and play the winner of the seeded match in a final showdown.

Tidus, as a big fan, had his eyes glued to the sphere and every so often commented on the plays but Rikku and Yuna, sitting on both sides, knew from years of watching that he isn’t as engrossed in this as he would be in the Aurochs’ game later on.

Rikku felt as though someone was watching them and her eyes went up to the podium. Maester Mika was sitting serenely at his spot. She moved to see Maester Kelk, the Ronso, who was intently watching the match – the Ronso Fangs were playing after all – and she finally looked to the other side and found someone unfamiliar to her looking in her direction.

She nudged Tidus, asking him who that was.

“That’s Maester Seymour,” Tidus answered, only looking up for a second to find who she was pointing to. “He was at the docks with Maester Mika.”

“Wait, that’s a Guado?” Rikku asked.

Yuna was listening in, and answered this time, “he is half Guado, and taking over for his father who passed recently.”

“He’s staring…” said Rikku gesturing in a stage whisper to the both of them, but loud enough to be heard over the crowds.

Yuna quickly glanced over, “that’s odd,” she remarked, bringing Tidus’s attention back again. He looked over too before quickly returning his gaze back to the sphere.

“I wonder why he keeps looking here,” said Tidus with a slight frown. Then almost offhand, he added, “He was doing the same thing at the docks too.”

“Really?” said Rikku, filing that away for contemplation. She looked over once again at the box, but Seymour was no longer looking their way.

Blitzball games tend to be short and fast, generally owing to how long professional players can stay under water. It was not until after the second game was over did they take a short intermission.

Tidus was slightly jittery in his seat, knowing the Aurochs were going to play after the next game.

Lulu and Auron, sitting in the stands above them, had left during intermission citing needs to be taken care of. Kimahri, sitting next to Rikku, opted to stay with the remaining trio.

“The Fangs did pretty well huh Kimahri?” said Rikku. “They’ll be against the Goers next though, that will be an interesting match.”

“Definitely interesting,” said Tidus

“Oh! I just remembered something. Guess who Kimahri and I ran into in town…”

Tidus and Yuna listened intently as Rikku recounted what happened with Biran and Yenke.

Yuna wasn’t happy; “there are always people willing to put others down.”

Tidus was indignant; “they are obviously not Kimahri’s friends.”

“But Rikku,” said Yuna, “it’s not our place.”

“They just make me so mad!”

Kimahri spoke up this time, “Kimahri deal with Kimahri problems. Rikku be Rikku.” He patted her on the head as he spoke.

The horn sounded in warning for the next match.

Another decisive game came and went. They found out that if the Besaid Aurochs win, they’ll be facing the Goers in the final.

Yuna could tell Tidus was nervous as their most anticipated match was starting.

From above them, the sound of the speakers blared as the commentators were rattling off their opinions in between games.

“And now we have the Besaid Aurochs against the Al-Bhed Psyches! What do you think of this line-up Bobba?”

“Hard to say Jimma, but the Aurochs now have Wakka Miyumi playing. That’s definitely going to up this game a bit. Though, it looks to me that this line-up doesn’t include the Son of Jecht.”

“Do we have a name for who this Son of Jecht is yet? I think everyone is really curious to know!”

“Right we do! Under the list for Captain, it’s… Tidus Shinkyou! Wow! What a name! The captain of the Aurochs, the son of a famous Guardian, and also the Summoner we’ve all been hearing rumours about? We might have another upcoming High Summoner Ohalland folks!”

“Oh no,” Tidus groaned, sinking into his seat and burying his face in hands. He wanted to melt into the uncomfortable bleachers and disappear from embarrassment. “They announced my name for the whole world to hear.”

Yuna and Rikku patted him consolingly. By the time the Aurochs started playing though, Tidus was already absorbed in the match, though his cheeks were still slightly red from the earlier embarrassment. The score started already at 1-0 with the Al-Bhed Psyches scoring a goal early on. ‘It must be early game jitters,’ Tidus thinks, ‘it has to be.’

As they continued watched the Aurochs’ match (and silently urged them to win), one of the Aurochs, Yuna thinks it was Datto, made an impressive hit to steal the ball away. It started a smooth flow of passing that ended with Wakka shooting it straight into the net, tying up the score! The crowd went wild over that play, and the commentators spoke with admiration amid the cheers.

“Well, what do you know,” Tidus was saying, a huge grin on his face, “Wakka was teaching them to tackle!”

Yuna coloured slightly, remembering her rather embarrassing attempt at talking about Blitzball, and lightly shoved Tidus, who was laughing in response. It was a bright and happy laughter though so Yuna didn’t mind so much, and focussed her attention back to the sphere.

The Aurochs won the game 2-1, and the three of them competed with the roars of the crowd in loudness. Lulu, Auron, and Kimahri politely clapped along.

“We’re in the finals!” Tidus cheered, pumping his fist in the air, and he raced off to congratulate the team. The rest of his guardians followed closely behind to the locker rooms and they all congratulated a proud Wakka and a proud team.

The final match would begin in one hour and Tidus kicked the rest of his guardians out of the locker rooms so he could prepare and warm-up with his team. That didn’t stop Auron and Kimahri from taking the posts of rather intimidating statues just outside the doors of the dressing rooms, at least until the game was about to start.

Yuna understands the importance of it. This would be Tidus’s one and only match on the big stage, and while it felt bittersweet, she couldn’t imagine it going any other way.

And if they won, it would give Tidus immense closure for his Blitzball dreams before continuing the pilgrimage. What a birthday present indeed.

This time Wakka joined them in stands, though he had warned them that his nervousness might cause him to leave and go to the sphere entrance to watch the final seconds of the game.

When Bobba and Jimma announced the players, with shock clearly in their voices, the stadium went into high spirits as everyone craned their necks to get a look at the Aurochs’ young captain. His shock of bleached blond hair reflected off the water brightly like a halo. He swam swiftly with the rest of the team as they took their positions.

In the very centre of the sphere, Tidus swam forward to take the ball drop and the stadium fell quiet very quickly. The utter silence and tension was almost suffocating to Yuna, and she can only stare intently at the blue and white ball in the water, willing it to go in the right direction.

Right off the bat, Tidus had grabbed the ball with a confident smile.

And away they went.

At the halfway mark, the score was 2-2, with one of the Aurochs suffering the effects of poison after a ferocious tackle by the Goers. Tidus wasn’t worried since a tie meant they just need one goal in the second round and then go on the defense, and the Aurochs are usually better on defense than offense.

In the locker room, just a few minutes away from the second half, Tidus quickly cast his newly learned Esuna ability to get rid of the poison, and then gave his team one last pep talk.

"Okay guys, we’re tied but it’s still anyone’s game. But, win or lose, I am so glad that you all gave me this chance to play one game.” Said Tidus, “You all know that after this, I will be continuing my pilgrimage… and well, I guess what I’m trying to say is, thank you. It’s been an honour.”

“No Captain,” said Jassu. “It’s ours. We would never have gotten this far without you.”

“Yeah,” said Keepa, jumping in and surprising everyone because he rarely speaks. “We probably would have stayed dead last, boss.”

“Aw come on,” Tidus said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. “I’m sure you guys will be fine.”

Botta piped up, “Captain, we just want to say thank you, for everything you’ve done. And also… stick it to Sin for us too!”

Tidus is rendered speechless for the second time that day, but he shook it off and smiled, his eyes sparkling like sapphires. Or maybe it was unshed tears.

“You know it! So team, what’s our motto?”

“Victory!” The team cheered, loud and enthusiastic.

“And don’t you forget it!” Tidus laughed loudly, and the team dispersed to finish the last preparations before going back out into the sphere.

A voice stopped Tidus in his tracks.

Wakka stepped out from behind the lockers. “That was some speech ya?”

“Thanks, you want to watch from the bench?”

“I ah- I get nervous when it’s all tied up like this ya? I really want you guys to win.”

Tidus was touched. “We will, I’ll make sure of it,” He says with as much confidence as he could.

Wakka laid an arm on Tidus’s shoulder, “I heard from your other guardians, so… happy birthday.”

One of his biggest idols, Wakka, was wishing him a happy birthday? Tidus felt that this day couldn’t get better.

“Thank you,” was all he could choke out.

Wakka grins, “now go out there and make history ya?”

Tidus also grins, “absolutely.”

 

* * *

The final horn blared. The score was 3-2.

The Besaid Aurochs managed to pull the victory over the Luca Goers, and the crowd went absolutely loud and wild.

As Tidus had thought, they had managed to put a goal past the Goal Keeper by a miraculous toss from Keepa that allowed Tidus to throw it at Jassu, who punched it in. After that goal, the Aurochs rallied into a major defensive formation with their Captain placing pressure on the opponents’ goal to prevent the Goers from realizing their objective. It worked, and they held out until the end with that lead.

They did it! The Aurochs have finally broken their 23-year drought!

Tidus grinned, swimming around quick and ecstatic. All those die-hard fans must feel rewarded right? He swam right up to the edge of the sphere, waving to the little kids in the front rows who waved back with great smiles.

The rest of the Aurochs have started to file out along with the Goers, eager to get to the locker rooms. They were used to their captain staying out longer than them and so they left with only a wave and without much of a second glance as Tidus swam leisurely along the perimeter of the sphere, floating up and down and basking in this moment of triumph.

They did it!

Then he heard screaming.

Tidus startled out of his peaceful float to look outside the sphere. Fiends have appeared inside the stadium and they were attacking the panicking fans!

He had to get out there. He didn’t have enough energy to hurl himself out of the sphere to be able to land safely (it would require a lot of momentum). So he started swimming fast towards the exit on the other side of the large sphere.

 

* * *

Yuna was cheering loudly with the rest of the stadium when the screams started and the guardians all sprang into action.

“Get to Tidus. Now.” Auron growled out the command, while drawing his sword across his back.

It was a frantic rush as they all tried to repel the fiends while running down the stadium stands to the floor of the sphere entrance. As Yuna ran, she could see familiar yellow fiends appearing in the sphere where Tidus was. She put on a burst of speed. Tidus didn’t have any weapons in there...

 

* * *

Tidus would yell in frustration as came face-to-face with fiends without a weapon yet again, but he can’t waste the precious air in his lungs for that. He still had some air supply left but without weapons and no offensive spells (there was only so much Slow he could cast), nor could either of his Aeons thrive in water (he definitely checked for that one), his last bet was to outswim the fiends. But considering the other side of the sphere didn’t have an exit, he would be trapped.

But as the fiends were closing in, out of the corner of his vision, he saw a blurry image of orange and yellow racing in.

 A blitzball shot through the water and smacked the fiend closest to Tidus away from him, and Tidus turned gratefully to Wakka. He could only have a non-verbal conversation with him but he figured that they were on the same page: get rid of the fiends and get out of here.

Immediately, he cast Haste on himself and then on Wakka and watched him launch his weapon and getting multiple hits in with the speed boost. With both of them moving faster, and Tidus constantly healing them and debuffing with Slow, it didn’t matter that only Wakka could actually attack back. They were able to destroy the fiends with minimal damage to themselves.

And just in time too since Tidus was almost out of air after the Blitzball game and the subsequent fighting. Wakka signalled for Tidus to go first and get out.

He burst out of the sphere, gasping and inhaling air back into his lungs, and stumbling right into the arms of his Guardians. They were all relieved to see Tidus unharmed. Kimahri was holding Tidus’s robe and both of his weapons to hand over to him after towelling off and changing back into his alternate set of robes.

Up above them, in the midst of all the pandemonium, Maester Seymour raised a hand and suddenly the sky above turned into a swirling dark pool of clouds.

This caught the group’s attention when the floor started rumbling and a huge figure seemed to be raised out of the floor, dragged out by a chain from the darkened sky.

“Is that… an Aeon?” Someone nearby asked.

“It looks like one…” Rikku said, but she sounded very uncertain.

Tidus gazed in awe at the… clam shell? He could sense it was an Aeon. It felt similar to Valefor and Ifrit, but it radiated huge power.

And yet, somehow it was also a familiar power. He didn’t know what to make of that.

“I have heard that Maester Seymour once studied to be a Summoner,” Lulu commented. “This is the first time I have seen his Aeon.”

Yuna felt the huge power unleashing as the Aeon released beams that vaporised all the fiends in the surrounding area. She wondered out loud, “If Maester Seymour is this powerful…” but she trailed, unable to find the courage to continue her thoughts. Luckily, after the Maester handled the fiends, things went back to normal in the stadium, and there were, also luckily, very few casualties. Everyone had acted quickly to either flee or fight, and the atmosphere had started to calm down.

After the excitement of the Blitzball games, the terror of the fiends, and the awe of Seymour’s triumphant power, the people of Luca have finally begun to wind down the celebrations as evening fell.

The Aurochs, as per tradition of a winning team, hosted a huge party that Tidus was obligated to attend. But he didn’t mind, it was funny to drag his guardians to it too. Someone spread the word that it was also Tidus’s birthday so a cake was procured from somewhere, and lots of food and drinks were readily available.

 And for the rest of the night, it was chaotic and fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so sorry, I cannot believe how long it's been since I last updated just about anything on AO3. I hope this will start to make up for it.
> 
> ((Also, this will probably the first and last chapter that will seem happy and more light-hearted))

**Author's Note:**

> Next up: Mi'hen Highroad


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